B.C.’s top doctor says while we wait for mass vaccinations to begin, we need to continue to manage COVID-19.
Provincial health officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, says health officials are particularly concerned about COVID’s reproductive number.
That means how many people someone with COVID-19 infects, on average.
“In the last two weeks, we started to see that move above the level of one. What that means is that there is potential for rapid growth if we’re not careful,” Dr. Henry said. “So this tells us that every person, on average, who is infected is spreading (the virus) to more than one other person. This is something that we need to watch, and be careful (of). It’s like a tree that keeps growing and spreading.”
During today’s/yesterday’s update, the province reported 395 new cases, marking the first time in over a week that that number has dipped below 400.
Of the new cases, 37 were on Vancouver Island.
Another 86 were in Vancouver Coastal Health region, which includes Powell River.
The virus also claimed 10 more lives.
On a bright note, a further 72,781 people who tested positive since the start of the pandemic have recovered.
